Alice in Wonderland . . .

This summer The Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas, created their summer celebration around "Alice In Wonderland". We decided to take the little ones to check it out and what a treat that was.

The atrium was decorated with numerous tableaus by various artists, there were Mad Tea Party cupcakes and Cheshire Cat games, along with a few strolling actors dudded up in Alice in Wonderland costumes! 

The tea party made entirely out of sand.

This picture of the little dudette is a little out of focus but you can see the giant chess pieces in the background.

What a great time we had.

Healthy recipe . . .

While I do not profess to be a chef I do like to cook, especially to try new and interesting recipes. Since we are trying to eat healthier I found a recipe for salmon on Taste of Home and we love it. Try it, I think you will like it too.

Pecan-Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:
2 salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Cucumber Sauce:
1/2 cup chopped seeded, peeled cucumber
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 teaspoon snipped fresh dill or 1/8 teaspoon dill weed
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
Place salmon skin side down in a greased 11-in. x 7-in baking dish.
Spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise over each fillet.

In a small bowl, combine the pecans, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley and butter; spoon over salmon. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the cucumber sauce ingredients. Serve with the salmon. Yield: 2 servings

Some suggestions . . .

I just finished reading two wonderful books that I would highly recommend to everyone. The first one is Same Kind of Different as Me written by Ron Hall & Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent. It is a true-life tale of two men and a remarkable woman, it's also a story about true life -- gritty, down to earth, often wrenching, ultimately hopeful, always surprising. 

Denver Moore is a man who grew up in slavery, a man who never attended one day of school, and who saw surviving on the streets as a step up in life.

Ron Hall is an international art dealer who is at home in Hollywood haciendas, Soho galleries, and European castles. He never thought the next chapter of his life would be written in an inner-city homeless shelter.

Debbie Hall was a gutsy woman of deep conviction who with her compassion and persistence brought the men together and with her vision transformed an inner city and eventually brought hope to thousands.

The next book I read was The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom with Elizabeth & John Sherrill. What a great read. Corrie Ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker who became a heroine of the Resistance and a most remarkable evangelists of the twentieth century. In World War II she and her family risked their lives to help Jews and underground workers escape from the Nazis and for their work they were tested in the infamous Nazi death camps. Corrie was the only survivor of her family to tell the story of how Corrie and her family were able to save so many of God's chosen people.

I found both of these books to be very inspirational and uplifting and I certainly recommend them to anyone who loves the Lord and loves to read.

Difference between boys and girls . . .

Anyone will tell you there is a big difference between boys and girls and this is a good example. This morning I was out working in the garden before it got too hot and let the little dude and dudette play in the backyard. I turned on the water to the garden and told them to stay out of the garden because I did not want them to get dirty or wet today because they were going to a party this afternoon. Our little dude, of course, did not listen and headed right to the garden for the mud and water. While our little dudette was safely playing with the toy outdoor kitchen.

Aren't children wonderful!

Morning activities . . .

Almost every morning around 7:30 two adorable children come to our house for the day. As you can see they are always willing to help their Lyly get breakfast started.

We love having them stay with us while my daughter and son-in-law are at work. What a wonderful opportunity we have to teach them about Jesus, sharing, helping others and then to share some fun times with them.

On July 25th my son fly to New York to participate in his first Ironman which was held in Lake Placid. For those of you who do not know what the Ironman is I will explain. It is a race that consists of swimming for 2.4 miles, riding a bike for 112 miles and then running for 26.2 miles (all in the same day). He had been training for one year and I am happy to report that Eric finished in 13 hours, 28 minutes and 8 seconds. We are so proud of him!!!

Swim lessons . . .

Yesterday was the last day for swimming lessons for the grandchildren. Two days a week we drive about 30 minutes south of town for the lessons and then have dinner with my mother and brother. While the children love playing in the pool they aren't that keen on lessons especially putting their head under water. The little dude cries the whole time but still performs the tasks that Miss Shelly gives him to do while the little dudette will do her tasks as long as Miss Shelly only makes her go under the water twice.

It has been rewarding to watch how they have progressed and hopefully they will look forward to more lessons next summer. We now look toward the end of the month when they will start Mother's Day Out twice a week . . . summer is too short.

Hot, hot, hot . . .

Today was 103 degrees but with the heat index it felt like 105 degrees and the weather man says we are to have even hotter weather the rest of the week which made me think about our winter and all the wonderful snow we had in Texas. 

It is so hot that the grandchildren can't get out and play in my car like they like to do. They like to pretend that they are driving. What a funny little dude and dudette they are.

How I wish it was winter again.

Thoughts for today . . .

Today I was sitting in the living room watching a hummingbird drink from our feeder and thought about how happy it makes me . . . watching him/her puts a smile on my face and brings a joy to my day and then I thought about all the moments in my life that have made me smile, laugh, cry, scream, proud and wondered about each of those moments.

I think about all the "moments in life" that I didn't take the time to notice things around me or to stop and call family or friends to say hello and to tell them I loved them. What if I hadn't taken the time to stop for that moment and have coffee with a friend who has become the love of my life? I once read someplace that "moments are simple yet powerful short spans of time that offer unique encounters on all different levels. Some are more special than others but yet they are all important." I never realized how much I loved living in Colorado . . . the beauty of a beautiful autumn day or the snow that covered the ground in winter or the crisp cool summer mornings . . . until I moved back to Texas. I never thought about losing a family member and how much I would miss them until I lost my father to cancer five years ago. What about the wonderful fun, carefree days of high school and college? What will you realize after something is gone from your life? Hopefully we will all learn to seize the moments in our life before they are gone forever.